Psychiatry Investig.  2025 Apr;22(4):451-461. 10.30773/pi.2025.0059.

Pilot Trial: Impact of a Virtual Reality Stress Reduction Program on Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Kwon D
• Im W
• Kim Y
• Yoo J
• Jeon H
• Choi H
• Kim H

• KMID: 2566739
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2025.0059

Abstract

Objective
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) based stress reduction program tailored for healthcare and information technology (IT) professionals during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.
Methods
The 2-week program, based on forest healing principles, was designed to alleviate occupational stress and improve sleep quality. Participants (n=54; 46 healthcare, 8 IT professionals) underwent pre- and post-intervention assessments using validated psychological scales and physiological measurements.
Results
Results showed significant reductions in stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS], p=0.001) and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] anxiety, p=0.002) across all participants. Healthcare professionals demonstrated significant decreases in depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, p=0.015), anxiety (HADS anxiety, p<0.001), and stress (PSS, p=0.001). Unexpectedly, weekday sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) worsened in the healthcare group (p=0.013). The IT group showed no significant changes, possibly due to the small sample size. Physiological measurements revealed significant differences between groups post-intervention, including melatonin levels (p=0.001) and electrocardiogram values (p=0.031), suggesting occupation-specific responses to VR interventions.
Conclusion
Despite limitations such as unequal sample sizes, this study provides valuable insights into the potential of VR-based stress management programs. The findings underscore the need for occupation-specific approaches and further research with larger, balanced samples to validate these results and explore long-term effects.

Keyword

Virtual reality intervention; Occupational stress management; COVID-19 pandemic; Healthcare and IT professionals; Sleep quality